A CONSTRUCTION company has been fined £80,000 after a worker plunged 15ft (3.5m) from a building site at the Liverpool One development and fractured his skull.

William Taylor, 62, an employee of Laing O’Rourke Construction Limited, also fractured his ribs and damaged his spine in the fall as he supervised the installation of concrete landings and staircases in a apartment block on the Paradise Street construction site in August 2007.

Liverpool crown court heard that Mr Taylor had been standing on a concrete landing which had been lowered into place by a crane using four chains.

Mr Simon Parrington, prosecuting on behalf of the Health & Safety Executive, said Mr Taylor had unfastened three of the chains, and then in the belief all four had been unfastened, instructed the crane driver to raise them.

One chain was still attached and as the crane raised the still connected corner of the landing tipped over causing Mr Taylor to fall.

Mr Taylor spent seven weeks in hospital but has made a full recovery and still works for the company.

The company admitted breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Mr Parrington said the landing from which Mr Taylor fell was not fitted with guard rails; the company failed to provide an accurate and detailed written method statement and there was no suitable harness attachment or system.

Mr Andrew Kinnier, defending, said the company offered an unreserved apology to Mr Taylor for the accident which had been “regretted and regrettable”.

He said that the company had never been prosecuted before, and lessons had been learned and steps had been taken including in-house seminars, pictorial works sheets, and “golden rules” for workers.

His Honour Judge Nigel Gilmour, QC, said although the risk of falling from the unguarded landing had not been a “substantial risk” it was a “real risk”.

He said that the company’s lapses had been “significant but uncharacteristic”.

The company were also ordered to pay £10,000 costs.